I have to admit, I'm having a hard time believing that we are into August already.  The month of July really flew by.  But like it or not, August is upon us and it's time to take stock of my July Goals and see how I did. July Goal #1 & #2 : Do 30 minutes of cardio every day. Do weight training three times a week. -This is a tough one for me, because ...

It seems that quite a few people enjoyed last week's "What's for Dinner Tonight?" post so I'm thinking of doing it on a fairly regular basis.  I'd love to try more recipes from dLife and I'll probably throw in some other meals I like to make too.  This week, I thought I'd share my current favorite dLife recipe, Grilled Wasabi Tuna. I've made this four times and we love it! As usual, I varied ...

Yesterday was a pretty big day.  We closed on a refinance of our mortgage, locking in the current low interest rates and knocking five years off our payments.  Then we went off to our weekly ballroom lesson.  But we felt like celebrating.  Since we've been working so hard on our exercise and diet plan, we decided to treat ourselves to dinner at a great Italian place just down the road from the ...

This may sound a bit vain, but the main reason I've been keeping up with my exercise program is because I'm tired of constantly finding out that last season's clothes are too tight and that I need to go up a size.  But another benefit that I really love is what I'm seeing on my meter.  I don't ever remember being this stable.  I'm using much less insulin than I used too.  I'm starting to ...

When the CGM alarmed me for a high a few hours ago, I thought it was odd.  I don't usually have a problem with highs mid-morning.  And I had been slacking and hadn't even eaten breakfast yet, so it wasn't like that would have driven me up.  But my blood sugars have been off for the past week.  So I just figured it was another frustratingly random high.  I tested and punched in my correction ...

When Lee Ann from The Butter Compartment posted this MeMe last week, I knew I had to grab it.  It's supposed to be for those of us who are now adults.  Or at least, out of our teenage years - because I don't ever plan to fully become an "adult".  *grin* 1. What bill do you hate paying the most? That's a tough one.  But I think it's the taxes I have to pay twice a year ...

On Saturday I was due for an infusion set change.  I showered and popped in a new set before we headed off to a pool party.  When we got to our friend's house everyone was in the pool already, so I disconnected and tried to pop the cap onto my set.  It wouldn't click on.  I tried and tried and tried some more.  No luck.  So I decided I would just re-connect the pump and ...

I've mentioned before that for most of my life I was the only person I knew with diabetes.  That's part of what brought me into the world of diabetes blogging and on-line support groups.  It's part of what makes each and every Fld County Diabetes Dinner so amazing.  It's part of why I enjoyed going to that support group in May. Yes, you've seen this picture before. Yes, it's the one Kerri took. ...

I've talked about the fact that Pete and I are dieting.  And how we track our calories, carbs, fat grams and protein on Sparkpeople.  This lead to an interesting conversation between us the other night.  It went something like this . . .  Karen: How was dinner? Pete: It was good.  Now I need to log my bloods. Karen: You need to what? Pete (slightly annoyed): Log in my bloods. Karen:  Do you ...

I spotted this little meme over at Ballatrina's blog last week. . I'm not sure if my blog is actually over the top.  It probably isn't.  I'm also not sure if I've done a MeMe similar to this already.  I probably have.  But I don't have the ambition for much else today.  We lost both a great aunt on my father's side and a great uncle on my mother's side on Saturday.  My morale is a bit ...

A while ago Lee Ann from The Butter Compartment did a vlog in which she went through her purse to show all of the medical supplies, and medical waste, that she lugs around.  Yesterday Kerri at Six Until Me did a similar vlog.  So I decided I'd put the contents of my purse on display for everyone too! Things I learned while making this vlog: The video quality of my laptop web-cam is pretty poor. ...

Take a look at me.  Tell me, what do you see? You may see my brown eyes, looking lovingly at my husband - or perhaps looking at him with some aggravation, depending on the day. You may see my hands, holding five double-pointed needles with some thin yarn snaking through my fingers as I knit on the sock that dangles from the end. You may see my clothes, the new dark-wash jeans I got on sale a ...

I first saw this on Lee Ann's blog last week.  Then on Crystal's.  Then it seemed every blog I clicked on had it posted.  So,  being desperate for blog content  the follower I am, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and do it too. Spoiler Alert: If you manage to hang in and read my answers to all 35 questions, there's a cute kitty picture at the end.   1. I've come to ...

One of the most frustrating things about diabetes is that you never know what to expect.  Monday I spiked before I ate dinner, only to land squarely at 99 by bedtime despite some cheesecake for dessert.  And Tuesday?  Tuesday evening was even more confusing. Pete and I had our ballroom lesson and then stopped at Panera for dinner.  Aside from liking Panera's soups, salads and sandwiches, I also ...

Chris from A Consequence of Hypoglycemia did a fancy vlog about what hobby gives him a much needed break from diabetes and keeps him sane.  I thought I'd give you a look at my favorite hobby too! This vlog is not as fancy as Chris's; he's obviously a video master! And I'm still pretty uncomfortable in front of the camera - which shows when I babble on and on while completely forgetting basic ...

This is a really fun meme and it's also really easy to do.  Here's how it works: Google “[your first name] needs” in quotes so you will get that whole phrase strung together.  Share the first 10 results. That's it! It is that simple. But be honest! Karen needs a man for no strings fun if interested call ###-####. - Oh my.  Just what kind of a girl am I? Karen needs a VACATION. - I ...

Today I am not blogging about The D Word.  Instead I thought I'd blog about the F word. No, not that F word!!  Figure Skating.  My mom and I share an obsession a love of figure skating.  We've been to tons of figure skating shows and to a few competitions including Skate America in 2006.  To say we are fans is a gross understatement.  To say we are gracious would also be wrong.  We have been ...

I'm going way back to 2006 and rerunning a meme I've done before.  The catch with this meme is that this week YOU have to do the work!  Come on, play along, it will be fun!  I can't wait to see what my witty internet pals come up with!! If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, even if we don't speak often, please post a comment with a COMPLETELY MADE ...

This morning my CGM threw a calibration error. This almost never happens to me. Not to mention, the finger stick reading wasn't that far off from the CGM reading. But for some reason, the CGM was feeling crabby. I was almost at the end of my six-day run. It's been reading great, so I had plans to disconnect the transmitter and recharge it. I'm hoping to get another 3 to 6 ...

Yesterday was all about The Ugly.  I showed the big bruise from my CGM sensor and complained about the ugliness.  But I don't want to give anyone the wrong idea, so today is about The Good.  I love having my CGM.  On the rare occasion that I don't have it on, I feel lost.  Yes, I still test just as often, if not more.  Yes, sometimes the numbers it reports are a bit off.  But ...

but here goes. I've signed up for a 30 Day Shred Challenge over at Melissa's blog.  The goal is to complete the 30 Day Shred DVD in the next month so we are looking our best for Thanksgiving.  Go read all about it . . . . you might be able to still sign up!  Anyway, the challenge started today.  Before I did my first workout, I took my Before Pictures and my measurements.  And ...

With a hat tip to Dr. Seuss for my post title, I wanted to finally tell you a story.  This all happened a few weeks ago - and while I've been wanting to blog about it, some things around here have kept me off-line for a while.  Things like finishing up my class, busy weekends, some not-so-good family news, out of town guests and being sick on the couch.  You know, life stuff. For now, let's ...

So November is here.  And I've decided to give NoBloPoMo a shot.  I'm not sure I can post every day for an entire month but I'd like to give it a try.  I am sure that some posts may be about things other than diabetes.  Today, for example, is about my quiet Halloween at home with Sweetpea! On Friday I was thinking about how busy and stressed Pete has been at work.  And I decided to ...

I first saw this fun little meme on Lee Ann's blog and I thought I'd give it a go!  Enjoy. 1. Do you like bleu cheese? Not at all.  I don't like the flavor and just the thought of eating something moldy grossed me out. 2. Have you ever smoked? Unfortunately I can't because I don't own a smokehouse.  Wouldn't it be cool to smoke and cure your own bacon though? 3. Do you own a gun? No and I ...

and it can be YOUR Time too!! As many of you know, this month is American Diabetes Month.  Over at dLife, a special initiative is going on all month called It's MY Time.  The goal is to encourage those of us with diabetes to reflect on the good things we do to manage our diabetes and to make small changes each week to improve the areas that need some work. This week is about setting goals ...

You probably know by now that November is National Diabetes Awareness Month.  Every D-Blog I click over to is on board and working hard to spread the word.  But how many people outside the D-OC know that it's Diabetes Awareness Month?  I haven't seen any billboards.  No T.V. commercials.  No products on my grocery store shelves are sporting blue labels and pledging to donate to a cure.  My ...

I'm fortunate enough to have a close-knit group of friends that I've known since the mid-80s.  We started hanging out when we all worked together at Stop and Shop.  Over 25 years there have been a lot of changes - far off colleges, weddings, kids, jobs, houses.  But through it all, our friendships have stayed strong. Most of "the gang" at a wedding in 2000. The latest person to be added to the ...

I've bought here plenty of balls.  She'd got cat-nip mice galore.  She even has butterflies and lady bugs made of felt to bat around.  So what is K.C.'s most favorite cat toy of all? That's right.  An empty drum from my Accu-Check Compact.  Of course, given the opportunity, she'd love to chance to swat around my pump tubing for a while.  I've managed to hold her off on that - so far . . . . ...

An interesting email landed in my inbox the other day.  It was from Jim Reno of Raw Food Repair and he told me a little bit about his story.  He battled lymphoma a few years ago and won the fight.  Soon after, another battle reared it's head.  This time it was Type 2 diabetes. He asked if I would consider publishing his story as a guest post.  I hesitated at first, mainly because I have Type ...

We didn't make it outside for a walk this weekend - rain, clouds and choirs kind of washed away any chance of snapping some pretty nature shots to share.  So instead, I'll share some of my favorite pictures of my little kitty cat.  Not that I take a lot of pictures of her or anything.  *grin* I took this one when I dropped her off at the boarding place before Pete and I went on our ...

That's right, today is D-Blog Day!  Diabetes bloggers everywhere are posting inspiring stories, useful tips and deep thoughts. It's late afternoon and I've got . . . nothing.  That's right, nothing - except maybe a raging case of Writer's Block.  On one of the most important days of the year to write a great diabetes blog post, I've lost my inspiration. It's like that with diabetes sometimes ...

I've been battling a low all afternoon.  Usually, I don't really mind lows.  Sometimes I'm low and it isn't that bad.  Sometimes I barely feel low at all.  Today is  not one of those days. Today my low feels bad.  My brain is fuzzy.  My stomach is queasy from juice and candy corn.  My head hurts so badly that I just took some aspirin.  I'm so tired that I have no idea how I'm going to ...

Thank you to all of the veterans who have done so much for our country.  And thank you to all of the servicemen who are still sacrificing.  Here's hoping for the day we see peace on Earth. ...

If I use the term "hate to sound like a broken record" would I be dating myself?  After all, in these days of CDs and instant music file downloads, who listens to records?  Surely there is a more current term.  (There is a more current term, and don't call me Shirley.) Anyway, I hate to sound like a broken record corrupt MP3 file, but I must write another post about exercise.  Or my lack ...

I'm usually not one to play the blame game.  I'm responsible for my own actions.  I make my own choices.  What I do is up to me and me alone. But last night . . . well, last night just wasn't my fault.  Last night I didn't cook a healthy organic meal for dinner like I usually do.  Last night I ate this . . . . . . and I blame it all on Kerri. ...

So, how did you spend World Diabetes Day? Did you dress in blue?  I did!! Did you raise awareness?  I hope I did, but putting up a post on my knitting blog with my Top 5 list of things NOT to say to a diabetic. Did you do The Big Blue Test?  I kind of half did.  I was on my way to the mall at 2pm, but I tested and tweeted my 88.  Once we got to ...

I saw this new Meme last night over at Lynne's blog. Is Thanksgiving really next week already?  Well then, I guess I'd better get this Thanksgiving Meme done!  I'll preface this by saying I have never cooked a Thanksgiving dinner.  We always go to my parent's house for Thanksgiving.  I don't know what I'm going to do when their house finally sells and they move to Tennessee.  I just keep telling ...

Something kind of odd happened on World Diabetes Day.  I found myself feeling extremely alone, very isolated and quite depressed. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled that so many great events were going on around the country.  I was happy for all of my D-OC friends who were able to participate in them.  I think The Big Blue Test was fabulous. Pete and I had planned to go to NYC for the pizza ...

As I made my way around the D-OC today to see what people were blogging about, I came across Amy's WayBack Wednesday post and I thought it was funny.  Not Funny Ha-Ha, but Funny-Odd.  Why?  Well, because last night I was in the exact situation she wrote about. Pete and I had our weekly ballroom lesson.  As we floated around the dance floor (okay, more like stumbled) I heard the shrill beeps of ...

I am totally stealing Kerri's idea of posting a blooper reel because I have no other blog content.  Unfortunately, before I took my "Making Movies" course, I never saved any of my raw footage.  I always shot in one take because I didn't know how to edit clips together.  If I made a mistake, I stopped the camera, deleted the video and started again.  So the only footage I have to work with is from ...

The other day I mentioned getting a "Sensor Error" during my ballroom lesson.  I turned the sensor off but left it intact on my tummy.  The next morning I restarted it.  It was working great.  At lunch, my sensor read 77 and my finger-stick read 76.  It stayed right on track, never varying its reading more than 10 points from my blood sugar machine. So I was a bit irked yesterday when it started ...